For those New England Patriots fans on the fence about whether they should be rooting for Tom Brady on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, allow the NFL’s greatest tight end of all time to persuade you.
NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport and ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Tuesday broke staggered reports that former Patriot Rob Gronkowski will come out of retirement and join his quarterback down south.
If you can get over the sadness of the legendary duo teaming up elsewhere, and see that this actually benefits New England a great deal, allow us to make one more point.
Watching the Buccaneers offense next year is going to be absurd.
Gronkowski will join an alread-solid rotation of tight ends in OJ Howard and Cameron Brate. Maybe one gets traded, and rumor has it that will be Howard, but the rest of the receiving corps will pull their weight, too.
Three-time Pro Bowler Mike Evans and Chris Godwin, who also made the Pro Bowl last season, will provide the best quarterback in history plenty of options.
According to ESPN’s Stats & Info, no two players combined for more receiving yards last season than Evans and Godwin (2,490).
Now factor in the fact that Brady is the one throwing passes to them now, and that Gronkowski is certainly his most productive target he’s seen in his career.
The @Buccaneers potential offense 🔥😳 pic.twitter.com/R4GnXYNQOT
— ESPN (@espn) April 21, 2020
Rob Gronkowski has caught 78 career touchdowns from Tom Brady, twice as many as any other player.
Their 78 TDs are also the 5th-most by any QB-receiver combo in NFL history. pic.twitter.com/iYJE56wrFK
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) April 21, 2020
Naturally, Brady reportedly rallied hard for Gronkowski to join him in Tampa Bay.
Pray for NFC South defenses, and Julian Edelman, who probably feels a little left out right now.